city government

Cherokee Street drainage project ‘substantially complete,’ city announces

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The city’s Department of Public Works, in conjunction with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, announced it has substantially completed the infrastructure improvement project on Cherokee Street between Benjamin and Pearl streets. The work began in June 2018. The work in the Black Pearl neighborhood included replacing existing water lines and installing new sub-drainage lines, repairing damaged sewer lines, repaving portions of the roadway in asphalt, installing rain gardens and a pervious parking lane to reduce subsidence and detain storm water, replacing damaged sidewalks and driveway aprons, and installing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps at intersections. Crews will be on site for a few more weeks cleaning all existing catch basins, adjusting water meters and performing general cleanup duties, city officials stated. The project was designed by Professional Engineering Consultants Corp.

city government

Cherokee Street repairs nearing completion, city announces

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The Department of Public Works, in conjunction with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, is now more than 80 percent complete constructing a road and infrastructure improvement project on Cherokee Street between Benjamin and Pearl streets. The project in the Black Pearl neighborhood was designed by Professional Engineering Consultants Corp. and is being built by Fleming Construction Co. Construction crews have been installing rain gardens and bio swales. The majority of the pervious (allows water to move through) parking lanes have been installed across the length of the project.

court

Sewerage & Water Board ordered to pay 10 more homeowners in Uptown drainage case

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In a ruling issued Friday, Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott awarded nearly three-quarters of a million dollars ($770,435) to 10 homeowners for damages resulting from the Southeast Louisiana Urban Drainage Project construction. The Sewerage & Water Board is responsible for the damage, the judge ruled. The trial is the third for Uptown homeowners suing S&WB for construction and vibration damage. S&WB must pay the homeowners’ attorneys’ fees and costs, pushing the award to over $1 million, according to plaintiff attorney Michael Whitaker. So far 25 cases have been litigated with 275 more to go.

city government

Judge holds Sewerage & Water Board liable for $500,000 in damages to 11 homes near drainage projects

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A civil judge found the Sewerage & Water Board liable this week for more than $500,000 in damages to 11 homes along the major Napoleon Avenue drainage project, awarding sums ranging from $13,000 to $110,000 to the individual homeowners as hundreds more cases remain pending. The judgment, signed Tuesday by Civil District Court Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott finds that the Southeast Louisiana Urban Drainage Project caused damage to the plaintiffs’ homes or exacerbated damage that already existed, and that the Sewerage & Water Board is the agency responsible. Ervin-Knott also specifies the pile-driving as a cause of the damage on Napoleon Avenue, and details exactly how much the project cost each of the 11 plaintiffs in actual damage and loss of use of their property. According to a news release from attorney Michael Whitaker’s office:

The judgment was handed down in the second of what will be many trials. So far, 21 claims have been tried by the Court, leaving more than 280 to go.

business

Nonprofits, traffic cameras, STRS; how does New Orleans City Council prioritize its budget?

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How does New Orleans City Council prioritize its budget? Joe Giarrusso III, who represents District A, and Jason Williams, elected by the city at large, discussed the city’s budgeting process and priorities with residents of the Carrollton Area Network. Both councilmembers used the Tuesday evening meeting to present their ideas for improvements or new allocations, with opportunities for public input. Roughly half of the city’s $646 million general funds are spent on public safety and government, according to the city’s 2018 adopted budget. Roughly five percent goes toward public works – around $33 million – and just over $37 million put toward sanitation.

city government

New state-created task force will study Sewerage & Water Board woes

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The state legislature is creating a new task force to study the endemic problems at the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — an entity it created more than a century ago — and has requested a report within six months on whether the agency should continue to exist. City Councilman Joe Giarrusso III — who chairs the council’s public works committee that has been investigating some of the same issues — praised the step, saying that the state’s focus on the agency’s long-term structure will allow him to focus more on correcting its day-to-day management issues. The task force was created in a bill sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Lakeview Republican. It will be comprised of eight people — a member of the New Orleans City Council, a representative of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a representative of the Sewerage & Water Board, a representative of the Inspector General, plus engineering, business and tourism leaders — and is charged with examining whether the agency should continue to function. “Over the last several years, many residents, business owners, and local officials have questioned whether the Sewerage and Water Board is the best entity to manage sewerage, water, and drainage facilities and services in the city of New Orleans,” Hilferty’s bill states.

city government

Mayor Cantrell: “We will never pump our way out of this”

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Days after a sudden Friday afternoon storm flooded parts of Mid-City yet again, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced her plans Tuesday morning to push infrastructure and drainage projects forward. Cantrell promised to prioritize an urban water plan, that includes rainwater cisterns underneath Uptown parks, while working to free up funding for water mitigation and drainage projects held up in design processes. Read the full article by Claire Byun at MidCityMessenger.com.

events

‘Pawty’ Time: Low Cost Animal Medical Center celebrates one year anniversary

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Gert Town’s Low Cost Animal Medical Center will celebrate its “One Year Pawty” this Sunday with an afternoon featuring adoptable pets, music, raffles, food from Bonafried Truck, and cold beer from Brieux Carré Brewing Company. Low Cost Animal Medical Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit veterinary hospital that opened its doors last March. Located at 4300 Washington Ave., the hospital is “dedicated to providing quality affordable veterinary care to the pets of Greater New Orleans.” The One Year Pawty takes place Sunday, March 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. All proceeds from the fundraiser goes to the nonprofit. Pets are welcome.

blight and demolition

City holds Catch Basin Cleaning Days for Districts A & D

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Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Neighborhood Engagement Office will hold Catch Basin Cleaning Days for Districts A and D this Saturday, Oct. 28. Volunteers will clean as many catch basins as possible in a two-hour span. District A’s clean-up will meet at Brooks Shaw Temple UMC at 8818 Pear Street. The District D clean-up in Gentilly will meet at the Beacon Light Church at 1937 Mirabeau Avenue.

city government

Candidates pledge support for Uptown homeowners in S&WB lawsuit over construction damage

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A group of mayoral and City Council candidates promised Friday morning to try to find out if the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans still has the $115 million reserve fund intended to pay damages from its major Uptown drainage-canal construction projects, as well as to try to push the entity toward mediation of their claims rather than continuing in a costly legal fight against them. In 2015, a group of property owners along Jefferson, Napoleon and Louisiana avenues filed a lawsuit against the Sewerage & Water Board, claiming that construction of the major new Southeast Louisiana drainage-canal project was damaging their homes through vibration and other ways. The Sewerage & Water Board attempted to blame the damage on the contractors, but a federal judge ruled that the liability was solely on the Sewerage & Water board, and a trial date for the first five homeowners in the case is now set for Jan. 8, 2018. On Friday morning, attorney Michael Whitaker invited candidates for mayor and the City Council to the home of the Leche family on Jefferson Avenue to see the damage and learn about the case firsthand.